Jury awards $15 million in personal injury case

It is believed the verdict is one of the largest ever awarded to a single person in the Central District of Illinois, according to one of the woman's attorneys.

Andy Kravetz

A federal jury sitting in Peoria last week awarded a South Carolina woman $15 million after finding that a tire on the motorcycle she was riding on had a defect and caused an accident that left her with severe brain damage.

The jurors deliberated for 15 hours over two days before coming back late Friday night and holding Goodyear Dunlop Tires North America Ltd. responsible for the May 26, 2002, accident on Interstate 55 in Livingston County.

Trish McCloud was riding back to her home in Michigan from a bike rally in St. Louis when the tire deflated. The driver of the motorcycle lost control and crashed. The bike flipped and McCloud struck her head on the pavement.

Though she was wearing a helmet, the impact was so great that it caused severe brain damage, according to court records. Presently, she is partially paralyzed and needs around-the-clock care, said one of her attorneys, Randy James of Lees Summit, Mo., a suburb of Kansas City.

It is believed the verdict is one of the largest ever awarded to a single person in the Central District of Illinois, said James, who had researched past cases before trial. The case was heard in Peoria because Livingston County falls within the Central District and because Goodyear also does business within the state.